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Nursing homes to receive COVID help from state

The COVID situation at local nursing homes is drastically better than it was in late 2020, and the state is taking steps to keep it that way.

“In 2021, the Rouse Home only had one instance of a COVID-19 outbreak that required use of our isolation unit,” Director of Marketing Kelsey Angove said. “We continue to see small numbers of positives among our staff, but we have been able to keep these numbers low with our infection control processes and procedures.”

“At this time, we can report zero cases among residents and caregivers at Kinzua Healthcare & Rehabilitation,” according to a Guardian Healthcare spokesperson.

Since cases were first identified in March 2020, in Warren County, nine facilities that qualify as nursing homes and personal care facilities have had cases of COVID-19.

In those, there were 351 cases among residents and 367 among employees, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. There were 92 residents who died as a result of COVID-19.

The majority of the cases in long-term care facilities statewide took place during surges in March and April 2020 and from November 2020 to February 2021. But, a spike in the statewide data, started in late December 2021.

“The challenges of caring for our most vulnerable populations in a congregate setting while managing the threat of COVID-19 creates extremely challenging and stressful circumstances,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said. “While we are grateful for the efforts of those on the front lines in long-term care facilities, they need more than our gratitude.”

“The Long-Term Care Resiliency, Infrastructure Supports, and Empowerment program (LTC-RISE) gives long-term care facilities the support they need to battle COVID-19, recover, and rebuild, according to a Monday release.

A federal grant provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is funding the LTC RISE initiative.

LTR-RISE started on Jan. 1 and replaces the Regional Congregate Care Assistance Teams (RCAT). The RCAT contract expired on Dec. 31.

“The LTC-RISE Initiative will provide the same services the Rouse was receiving under the RCAT Initiative,” Angove said. “We have a partnership with LECOM through this initiative and they provide technical support and infection control guidance.”

“The safety of our residents, patients, and caregivers remains our top priority,” the Guardian spokesperson said. “We continue to follow all CDC, CMS, and DOH guidance for health care facilities. The Commonwealth’s LTC-RISE initiative will be available to all of our sites.

“Our caregivers continue to focus on providing quality care in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “We continue to practice infection control protocols and convey the importance of vaccinations and proper PPE.”

“The Rouse has certainly seen the impact of COVID-19 over the last two years,” Angove said. “We continue to follow all Pennsylvania Department of Health Guidance and update our Infection Control Policies as necessary.”

“We have established a COVID-19 Control Task Force, including representatives from each of our divisions, that meets weekly to evaluate the core pillars of our response plan: Education, Vaccination, Detection, and Prevention.”

“Employees are screened for symptoms twice during each shift and all employees are tested twice weekly,” she said. “Residents are also screened for symptoms and tested regularly. We are able to do both Antigen Rapid Tests and PCR Tests in-house at the Rouse Home.”

According to the latest information (mid- to late-December) from the Department of Health, over 90 percent of residents at the Rouse Home (92.9 percent), Kinzua (90.1), and Warren Manor (90.1) have been fully vaccinated.

The rate among staff is lower. That number is 74.8 at Kinzua, 67.2 percent at Warren Manor, and 51 percent at the Rouse Home.

“We continue to follow all guidance from CMS regarding COVID Vaccinations and Religious/Medical Vaccination Exemptions for the Nursing Home Staff,” Angove said.

Rouse personnel hold many of their meetings virtually in order to limit cross-exposure across the facility’s divisions, she said.

“The Rouse Home is able to take admissions while following the quarantine and isolation guidance from the PA Department of Health,” she said. “A negative test is required for admission and all admissions are re-tested at the Nursing Home upon arrival.”

“Our long-term care facilities provide a caring home for some of our most vulnerable loved ones. As they continue to work through the ongoing public health threat, we must sustain resources that have helped facility leadership, staff, and residents maintain safe operations,” Human Services Acting Secretary Meg Snead said. “We are committed to supporting our long-term care facilities through what lies ahead, and LTC RISE will continue the infrastructure that makes prevention and effective response to health risks in long-term care facilities like COVID-19 possible.”

According to the release: “Through LTC-RISE, long-term care facilities may take advantage of improvement project opportunities in the following areas:

¯ Implementing infection prevention and control and emergency preparedness best practices to enhance delivery of resident-centered care;

¯ Building a sustainable outbreak response operation construct that meets the facility’s needs; and

¯ Promoting professional development and a resilient long-term care facility workforce.”

“Long-term care facilities face unique challenges during a disease outbreak,” Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said. “Providing a wide range of support options that meet their needs allows them the flexibility to support their staff and clients in a way that makes sense for each facility.”

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